Ocean’s Twelve (2004) – Review

Picking up three years after the events of Ocean’s Eleven, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) gathers his gang of fellow thieves and con artists to plan and execute another heist, this time based in Europe, in a desperate attempt to repay Terry (Danny Garcia) the money in which the group had previously stolen. A solid heist movie but somewhat different to its predecessor. It’s worth noting that Ocean’s Twelve is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: George Clayton Johnson, Jack Golden Russell
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Shaobo Qin, Eddie Izzard

After the waving success of Ocean’s Eleven (2001), the first instalment of the Ocean’s franchise, Steven Soderbergh returned to direct a sequel, Ocean’s Twelve, released to audiences in December 2004 and nominated for a number of awards in the process. Following this release in 2004 came Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), which will be reviewed on the website in the coming weeks.

Various filming locations were utilised within Ocean’s Twelve, with a distinctive European feel being attached to a large majority of the flick. With that being said, there were some early scenes shot on location in Illinois, United States, to provide a good contrast. The European locations ranged from Italy, France, Monaco and the Netherlands, which led to a slightly different atmosphere and overall feel compared to the original film, where Las Vegas was prominent throughout.

A couple of minor flaws, however, came in the form of the plot presented to the viewer. It could be argued that this seemed a little overly complex and convoluted, while being heavily rushed and sometimes illogical at the same time. The picture also seemed to adopt more of a comedic element compared to the prior instalment, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – with that being said, there were one or two genuinely laugh out loud moments injected to warrant some of the comedy as effective.

The original impressive list of cast members reprised their roles for Ocean’s Twelve, with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garica and Julia Roberts all picking up where they left off as Danny Ocean, Rusty, Terry and Tess, respectively. Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle and Shaobo Qin made up the rest of the crew that were responsible for another heist. Other noteworthy additions to the casting including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vincent Cassel, while Bruce Willis and Eddie Izzard also played small roles.

Ultimately, Ocean’s Twelve more than likely warranted a longer runtime than the one-hundred and twenty-five minutes allocated to it, however, it may have been easier and more convenient to trim down the convoluted and at times messy plot in which the filmmakers installed. It’s worth noting that the Ocean’s franchise did continue after this release, with a third instalment released in 2007, titled Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), a film that will be reviewed in the coming weeks. As previously touched upon, Ocean’s Twelve is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

“Amsterdam, it is. Clock’s running guys. Let’s go.”

Danny Ocean – Ocean’s Twelve